The young and the winless

Last year, he insisted Siena would not be as bad as predicted; he was right. This preseason, he insisted Siena was not as game-ready as many hoped; right again.

It’s obvious after a 65-57 loss to Holy Cross that Siena Version.06-07 is a work in progress. If you’re a Siena fan, the biggest positive here is that the Saints were crushed on the boards and somehow managed to stay in the game. That suggests the Saints have heart.

What they don’t have is experience.

How about this scene from the first half: Five freshmen on the floor at the same time, while Siena is on an 11-0 run? Then, at the end of the game, a freshman, Ronald Moore, ran the point.

I’ll be interested to see this week if McCaffery changes his starting lineup. This is the first time in his tenure at Siena the question even has come up. Remember, last year from start to finish the starting five was a foregone conclusion. Siena only used a different starting five once, and that was because David Ryan was injured.

If McCaffery does make a change, I’m betting it’s Moore to the point, Kenny Hasbrouck to shooting guard and Tay Fisher to the bench. But that’s if.

McCaffery liked the dynamic last year. Players never looked over their shoulders or worried about bad games. They had security, which McCaffery has said helped them relax. If McCaffery makes a change after two games, you can bet security becomes an issue.

Besides, a little perspective: Siena played a Pacific-10 conference team on the road and a very good mid-major school on the road. Losses to these two schools hardly give any cause to panic. A lineup change might look like panic.

Lastly, it needs to be said, so I’ll say it: This team really, really misses Kojo Mensah. He was Siena’s second-leading rebounder last season as a point guard. Through two games, his replacement, Hasbrouck, has failed to grab a single board. Think that might have something to do with Siena getting trounced, 43-21, on the boards by Holy Cross?